The present invention generally relates to a device for forming a crust. More specifically, the present invention relates to a self-contained pizza crust factory that sequentially presses a raw dough ball into the desired shape for a pizza crust, docks the formed crust and positions the formed, docked crust on a crust container, such as a pizza pan or wire mesh screen.
Counter-top appliances for forming a disk-shaped pizza crust from a ball of raw dough have been known and available for years. In typical counter-top presses, the raw dough ball is placed beneath a press member that can be operated to apply pressure to the dough ball and press the supply of dough outward to form a general disk-shaped crust. Typically, the crust is formed on a generally flat surface and transferred to a crust container, such as a pizza pan or wire mesh screen. Some counter-top press assemblies form the crust directly in the pizza pan such that the pan can be removed from the press with the crust already in place.
While counter-top pizza crust presses work reasonably well to create the desired shape for the crust, they suffer from several significant drawbacks. First, the crust formed by the counter-top assembly needs to be manually perforated, or docked, to form a crust having the improved properties provided by the docking process. Additionally, the counter-top press assemblies do not allow for the continuous, automated production of a series of crusts.
In large scale, commercial bakeries, pizza crusts are continuously formed along a conveyor system that may extend for hundreds of feet. In an initial portion of the conveyor system, raw dough balls are pressed into the desired crust shape and are subsequently transferred by a moving conveyor section to a downstream docking station. The downstream docking station, which is typically a separate unit from the press assembly, receives the formed crusts and docks the crusts by passing them through a rotating pin wheel. After leaving the docking station, the formed, docked crusts typically enter into a third separate section that places the raw crusts on a support surface for baking the crusts. Although the industrial conveyor system for forming pizza crusts from raw dough balls is an effective and rapid method of forming a large number of pizza crusts, the crust forming conveyor system clearly cannot be used in a single site restaurant, such as a pizzeria.
Therefore, a need exists for a self-contained, mobile pizza crust factory that presses a dough ball into the desired crust shape, docks the crust once it has been formed and transfers the formed, docked crust onto a crust container. Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a self-contained pizza crust factory that allows pizza crusts to be continuously formed from a succession of raw dough balls. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile, self-contained pizza crust factory that can be used within a pizzeria. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pizza crust factory that includes a removable crust die plate so that the shape and size of the crust formed by the pizza crust factory can be easily adjusted based on user specifications. It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a self-contained pizza crust factory that docks a formed pizza crust prior to its insertion onto a crust container. Finally, it is an additional object of the present invention to coordinate the discharge of the formed, docked crust from the docking station and the position of the crust container such that the docked, formed crust can be accurately positioned on the crust container.